Shumlin Wants PSB To Take Additional Testimony In Yankee Case

(Host) Governor
Peter Shumlin says he hopes the Vermont Public Service Board will take
additional testimony before deciding the fate of Vermont Yankee's request to
extend its operating license for another 20 years.

The
Board's final decision on the license extension was put on hold in 2009 as the
Legislature debated the future of Vermont Yankee. The Vermont Senate voted
against the license renewal in 2010, but a federal judge ruled last month that
the Legislature overstepped its authority when it gave itself veto power over
Vermont Yankee.

Now,
the case is before the PSB once again and the question is whether the Board
should take more testimony in the case.

The
plant's owner, Entergy Vermont Yankee, says no. But the Governor has a
different point of view:

(Shumlin) "Obviously we know that in the past two
and a half years there have been a number of incidents from the leaking pipes
that they swore under oath to the Board weren't there, to the spin off to
Enexus and other events that certainly would seem relevant to Vermont as the
Board contemplates the plant's future."

(Host)
The Attorney General's office has spent several hundred thousand dollars in the
case, and the state's financial liability could grow if Entergy asks the
federal court to make the state of Vermont pay the company's legal fees.

The
Governor says the state's potential legal bill is a factor - but not a defining
factor - in deciding whether Vermont should appeal Judge Murtha's decision:

(Shumlin) "To suggest that we don't consider costs
wouldn't be correct, but the most important decision we make is what's in the
best interests of Vermonters and how do we get the result that we want."

(Host)
The state has 30 days to appeal Judge Murtha's decision and the Governor says
it's likely that Attorney General Bill Sorrell will use most of that time to
review the pros and cons of filing a formal appeal in the case.